Tenderness
by pandorabox82
Summary: After the events of the Replicator, Erin and David break up. Will the woman she meets by happenstance be able to help her out of her funk?


"Ugh, men suck," Erin said lowly as she stalked around the courtyard, wanting to work off some of her anger at her now decidedly ex-boyfriend.

"Not all of them." Her head shot up to look into the smiling face of an unfamiliar woman. Quickly, she looked her up and down, trying to find her badge. It was clipped to her jacket and she read the name, Eleanor Prince. "I'm Eleanor."

"Erin."

"Ah, we match. How fortuitous. Now, why do you think men suck?" She led her over to a bench beneath a leafy oak tree and they sat. There was something very comfortable about the woman, with her soft auburn hair and large brown eyes.

"My boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend, he was cheating on me. With someone I can't even hate. She's too sweet and loving for anyone to hate her. Hence, men suck."

Eleanor nodded sympathetically. "Would you like to get a cup of coffee, perhaps? Talk it out a little more? I think it is much better to talk about our problems than to just bottle them up inside." There was something about her sweet smile that calmed Erin and she nodded, standing with her. Side by side, they walked over to the closest coffee shop, and were quiet as they stood in line. "Could I get a tall black coffee, please?" she asked softly, accepting the cup from the bored looking young woman.

Erin, though, wasn't so easy. "I want a Turkish coffee." She enjoyed the way the barista's face fell, knowing that it was a very unconventional drink. The girl handed her a number without speaking another word to her and she joined Eleanor at the booth she had claimed for them. "I think I made her mad."

"But you like things complicated." Erin nodded and listened to the woman laugh gently. "I know someone that you would get along with famously, then. Too bad she lives in New Mexico."

Erin nodded as she rested her arms on the table, looking into Eleanor's eyes. "Why be ordinary when you can be more?"

"There is that. So, tell me about this sweet woman that you can't even bring yourself to hate. What's she like?"

Erin took a deep breath, thinking about Penelope and how happy she seemed with Dave. She had had no idea that they were still seeing each other, still sleeping with each other, and so she had quietly ended things with him that morning, not willing to hurt the kind woman. "She was the first person to welcome me back after I returned from rehab."

"She was kind to you, then."

"To everyone. I really don't think there is a person out there that she dislikes, once she knows them. Her heart is a thousand times too big for her body, and at times that can get her hurt. I hate to hear that she's been upset over something."

The smile that Eleanor wore changed subtly, and Erin felt her brow furrow, even as she accepted her coffee from the barista, handing over her number. "It almost sounds like you were in love with her, not your boyfriend."

Her statement took Erin aback and she picked up the small cup, sipping at the strong brew. "That's absurd. I've always been into men."

"Are you certain about that?" A hint of teasing crept into the woman's voice, but the truth that underscored her words unsettled Erin. She had never really given a second thought to her feelings, had always just assumed that she was into men. Homosexuality was not a topic that had been discussed in her home growing up, it had always been expected that she would get married to the perfect man and raise the perfect family.

"I have to be," she whispered, looking down at the table. Suddenly, she wished that she hadn't agreed to this madness, hadn't let herself open this can of worms. Eleanor reached across the table and rubbed her hand softly before squeezing it tenderly. "What about you? Any men in your life?"

"I was seeing a man when I lived in Albuquerque, but when I moved back here, the relationship fizzled. It seems like we couldn't make long distance work for us." She sighed wistfully, and Erin felt her heart lurch in her chest. "There hasn't really been anyone since. I don't think I can love a man again, not after my husband. He was the perfect match for me."

Erin nodded, even though she really had no experience with a perfect match. Looking up, she saw that a refill for her coffee had arrived and she accepted it from the barista's hands. "There was never anything perfect about me. I learned too late how to be soft and tender, and then even that bit me. I just don't know how to move on."

"Moving on is the hardest part of our lives. I don't think I've really moved all that far down the road. I still look back over my shoulder for him." Eleanor looked down into her coffee cup. "I'm sorry I'm so maudlin," she whispered as a lone tear finally rolled down her cheek. Erin had to clench her hand in order to keep from reaching out and wiping it away. Instead, she watched as more tears joined the path down her cheek.

Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. Those tears were too sad, too telling, reminding her of times she had cried just as bitterly. "Eleanor…" she whispered, waiting for her to meet her eyes. "Here, let me." Reaching out, she gently thumbed away some of those tears. The woman tried to look away from her, and Erin was the first to break eye contact, knowing just how intimate it could be to gaze into another person's eyes for too long.

"Sooo, do you want to go for a walk?" Eleanor asked shakily, picking up her cup and taking another sip.

"That would be really nice, Ellie." The nickname slipped from her lips before she realized what she had done, and the woman across from her stiffened slightly. "Sorry, I didn't…"

"You're fine. It's just, Stan used to call me that." Erin felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment, and she tried to think of a way to dig herself out of the situation. "I like being called Ellie," she whispered moments later, and their eyes met once more.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Eleanor tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled shyly at her. "So, finish your coffee." Erin nodded and hurriedly drank down the last of her drink before slipping out of the booth and holding her hand out to Eleanor.

She took it without hesitation, and Erin felt her heart lurch a little at the feeling of rightness that swept over her. "This is going to sound really out of the blue, but, would you like to head back to my place, so I can make us supper?"

There was no hesitation in her answer, something that startled Erin. "Yes, I would very much like that. After our walk."

"All right, I can handle that." Taking a deep breath, she clenched the soft hand in hers and led her out into the fall sunshine.


End file.
